The Fast Food Industry

Do They Have a Responsibility in the War on Obesity?

Fast Food Industry

• Over the past 30 years, fast food companies have spread to every corner of the nation.

• Fast food is now served at drive-thru’s, stadiums, airports, zoos, schools, universities, cruise ships, trains, airplanes, K-marts, Walmarts, gas stations and even in hospitals!

• 1970 – Americans spent $6 billion on fast food• 2001 – Americans spent more than $110 billion• 2005 – Americans spent more than $134 billion• Americans now spend more money on fast food than on higher

education, personal computers, computer software, and new cars• They spend more on fast food than movies, books, magazines,

newspapers, videos and recorded music combined.• Fast food calories in the American diet has increased from 3% to

12% over the past 20 years.

Fast Food• According to Eric Schlosser, Fast Food

Nation, fast food has proven to be a revolutionary force in American life.

• On any given day in the U. S. about one-quarter of the adult population visits a fast food restaurant.

• During a short amount of time, the fast food industry has helped to transform not only our diets, but also our landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture.

Changes in American Society

• Hourly wage of the U.S. worker peaked in 1973 and then steadily declined. Thus more women entered the workforce to help pay bills.

• 1975 – About 1/3 of American mothers with young children worked outside the home.

• Today – About 2/3 of American mothers are employed.• The demand for services such as cooking, cleaning and

child care has increased.• A generation ago – ¾ of $ was used to buy food for

meals at home.• Today about ½ of the $ is used to buy food at

restaurants – mainly fast food restaurants!

Food Industry

• Every year the food industry spends $33 billion convincing us that we are hungry!

• The power of suggestion works!• Every waking moment we are bombarded by

advertising, all telling us to consume!• The line between personal responsibility and

corporate responsibility gets more blurred!• Does corporate advertising and marketing

manipulate our desires, wants and what we think we need?

• What about personal responsibility?• Is it coincidence that the explosion of obesity

happened at exactly the same time as the explosion of the fast food industry?

How Did It All Start?

• It began in October, 1885, near Seymour, Wisconsin.

• 15 yr. old Charlie Nagreen began earning extra money by selling meatballs at the county fair.

• Noticing that people had a hard time eating the meatballs while strolling the fair, he decided to squish them between two slices of bread – thus the hamburger was born!

What happened next?

• For a long time hamburger meat had a bad reputation, as it was assumed that ground beef was dirty or unsafe to eat.

• But, Walt Anderson who loved burgers opened a small restaurant in Wichita, Kansas where he grilled the burgers right in front of the customers so they could see it was safe to eat.

Next. . . .

• Walt was very successful and started opening more hamburger restaurants built in the shape of small white medieval forts.

• What did he call them????

White Castles!

1930’s• California was booming with

people and LA became the city of the future with over a million cars.

• Thus, the “drive-in” was born where people could sit in their cars and be served by “carhops”

McDonald Brothers

• 1937 Richard and Mac decided to open their own drive-in. First sales were mainly hot dogs, but later it became a burger drive-in.

• It was located across from a H.S. and made them rich.

• But, after a few years they were tired of hiring cooks and carhops. They got rid of silverware and plates, fired most of the staff and came up with a new system of preparing food.

McDonald Brothers• They started using paper cups and plates

and served only finger foods, mainly hamburgers and cheeseburgers.

• They started the assembly line cooking method to put together burgers.

• People were easier to hire and fire and it was cheaper to prepare food.

• Customers got out of their car and waited in line for their food.

Success• The first McDonald’s was so

successful, others drove to California to see how it was done.

• Carl Katcher then started Carl’s Jr.• Keith Cramer started Burger King.• Glen W. Bell, Jr. started Taco Bell.

McDonald’s

• 1954: Entrepreneur and milkshake-mixer salesman Ray Kroc became interested in the McDonald's restaurant when he learned of its extraordinary capacity. After seeing the restaurant in operation, he approached the McDonald brothers with a proposition to open new McDonald's restaurants, with himself as the first franchisee. Kroc worked hard to sell McDonald's. He even attempted to prevail on his wartime acquaintance with Walt Disney, in the failed hope of opening a McDonald's at the soon-to-be-opened Disneyland.

• 1955: Ray Kroc opened the Des Plaines restaurant. Their first day's revenues were $366.12. Kroc founds "McDonald's Systems Inc.", on March 2.

• 1960: The company was renamed "McDonald's Corporation".

McDonald’s

• We will discuss McDonald’s as it has become the leader of the fast food industry.

• In 1968, McDonald’s operated about 1,000 restaurants.• Today, it has 31,000 restaurants worldwide and opens

almost 2,000 new ones each year.• Estimated that one out of every eight workers in the

U.S. has at some point been employed by McDonald’s.• Annually, McDonald’s hires about 1 million people, more

than any other American organization, public or private.

McDonald’s

• Every day about 1 out of 10 Americans eats at a McDonald’s.

• Every month about 9 out of 10 American children visit one.

• McDonald’s has become the most powerful fast food chain.

McDonald’s

• They are the nation’s largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes – and the second largest purchaser of chicken.

• McDonald’s Corporation is the largest owner of retail property in the world. They earn the majority of its profits from collecting rent, not from selling food.

• McDonald’s spends more money on advertising and marketing than any other brand.

• They operate more playgrounds than any other private entity.

• They have the nation’s bestselling line of children’s clothing (McKid’s).

McDonald’s

• 96% of American schoolchildren could identify Ronald McDonald. The only fictional character with more recognition was Santa Claus!

• The Golden Arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross.

McDonald’s

• Worldwide they serve 46 million people/day.• Almost half of Mc. Daily global patronage is in the

U.S.• Every day 1 in 4 Americans eat fast food and 43%

of them at McDonald’s, which translates to one out of every ten fast food purchases in America being made at the Golden Arches. (Morgan Spurlock)

McDonald’s

• 1973 - First McDonald’s in NYC. • Now there are over 80 of them in Manhattan alone,

including the country’s largest.• McDonald’s is in every continent except Antarctica.• There are McDonald’s at the Eiffel Tower, next to the

Great Pyramids in Egypt, and near the Taj Mahal.• One of the first things the U.S. did after invading

Afghanistan was to welcome McDonald’s. • McDonald’s put a restaurant near the Dachau

concentration camp and where 30,000 people were exterminated during WWII.

South Africa

• 1995 – McDonald’s opened their first restaurant in South Africa. 30 more were opened by 1997. Today there are 90 restaurants (One of their most successful international markets).

• In South Africa eating habits have changed from traditional plant-based foods to high-fat, high-sugar, energy-dense, low-fiber fast food. Thus, obesity is spreading rapidly.

• World Health Organization says 29% of men and 56% of women in South Africa are overweight, with the highest rates in the areas with the largest number of fast-food joints. Is there a correlation??

China

• There are over 600 McDonald’s in China and they plan on opening 400 more by 2008 (Beijing Olympics)

• November, 2004 – News Target Network reported the rapid spread of obesity in China.

• They blamed importing the typical American diet of red meat, processed food, soda, fried snacks, and white flour as to their increase in diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity in just a few years.

China

• 200 million citizens are now judged overweight• More than 160 million have high blood

pressure• 20 million have diabetes• Other obesity related conditions are on the rise

also.• Since 1992, in China, the proportion of adults

who are overweight has risen by 1/3 to 23%: obesity rate has nearly doubled to 60 million.

McDonald’s

• Other countries such as Japan and the Asian countries are reporting similar problems!

• England – opened their first McDonald’s in 1974. Since then the rate of obesity has tripled! Currently around 50% of adults in the UK are overweight or obese.

• Can a single corporation reshape an entire culture? Can it change its eating habits?

• In the U.S. we have more McDonald’s than public libraries and hospitals.

• McDonald’s feeds nearly 17 billion people a year, most of whom are classified as “Heavy Users”

• The typical American now eats about 3 hamburgers and 4 orders of fries every week.

So What Are We Eating?

• Fast food is loaded with fat (saturated and trans), sugar, and sodium.

• It’s packed with chemicals to make it taste and smell like real food.

• Fast food lacks vitamins, minerals, fibers, antioxidants• Recommended that no more than 30% of our calories

are from fat, and no more than 10% of that from saturated fat.

• Many fast food items are loaded with fat – burgers, French fries, fried chicken, pizza, shakes, ice cream, cookies

Big Mac

• A big Mac has 560 calories, 30 grams of fat. Each gram of fat has 9 calories or 270 total calories from fat.

• So, about 50% of the calories are fat calories, and 16% come from saturated fat!

• If you add a large French fry and a large coke (32 oz.)– that is another 830 calories and 25 grams of fat, plus all the sugar from the soda.

• Your total caloric intake would be 1390 calories or about 14 miles of running!

The Big Mac

Heart Attack GrillTempe, Arizona

• Estimated at over 8,000 calories and that is before the “Flatliner Fries”

About the fries. . .

• Just about everyone loves the taste of McD fries. It is not due to the type of potato, the technology the processes them or the fryers that fry them.

• It is largely determined by the cooking oil.

• For years, it was 7% soybean oil and 93% beef fat.

• After much criticism, they switched to vegetable oil and “natural flavor”.

The fries

• That ‘natural flavor” is made out of beef.

• French Fries: Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor (beef source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). TBHQ and citric acid added to help preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent. (McDonald’s website)

• For years, McDonald’s did not disclose there was beef in the fries.

Where’s the beef?• McDonald’s is America’s largest

purchaser of beef.• Due to demands by fast food companies,

beef slaughterhouses feed cattle grains and hormones to “fatten” them up 3 months before slaughter.

• 100,000 cattle may be crammed into a feedlot to mass produce cattle for slaughter.

• In 1970’s there were thousands of slaughterhouses in U.S. Today, there are 13 who supply all the beef eaten by 300 million Americans.

About the beef. . .• Risk of contamination is high. Cattle in

feedlots become ill, get little exercise and live in manure.

• E coli can survive for 90 days and can be passed to slaughterhouses and hamburger grinders.

• Meat packing companies are able to avoid strict food safety laws due to close ties to members of Congress

• A single fast food burger now contains meat from hundreds of different cattle.

• Always cook ground beef to well done!

Is Fast Food Fat Food?

Fat

• New Scientist indicated that “early exposure to fatty food could reconfigure children’s bodies so that they always choose fatty foods.”

• Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are also used which are trans fats.

• Trans fats are as damaging as saturated fats. They raise LDL and lower HDL levels, increasing the chances of heart attack and diabetes and clogging the arteries!

Chicken McNugget Ingredients

• Chicken McNuggets® Made with White Meat: Boneless chicken breast, water, modified cornstarch, salt, chicken flavor (yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (animal source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (natural extractives of rosemary, canola and/or soybean oil, mono-and diglycerides, and lecithin). Battered and Breaded with: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, modified corn starch, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch. Breading set in vegetable oil. Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil).

“Supersize Me”

• Some scientists believe that high fat, high sugar food is physiologically addictive, like a form of a drug.

• In the “Supersize Me” movie, Spurlock after a week of eating McDonald’s became addicted to the food. He felt sluggish, had headaches and would crave more fast food. In one month he gained 25 lb., ate 30 pounds of sugar, his body fat increased 7% His cholesterol jumped 65 points and his liver turned to a cirrhosis type of liver.

• A meal high in fat may dull the hormonal signals your body usually sends itself to let you know you’re full.

• On the McDonald’s menu only four items contain no sugar – unsweetened ice tea, coffee, diet soda and sausage!

• There is sugar in the fries, hash browns and salads!• An article in the July 14, 2005, issue of The New York Times

reported that the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA that soft drink labeling should include a warning to alert consumers that soft drinks may cause obesity and other health problems. Do you agree or disagree with adding warning labels to soft drink packaging?

Hand tossed- 1 slice (1/8 pizza)

• Super Supreme• 280 calories, 13

grams fat

• Meat Lover’s• 330 calories, 17

grams fat (46% fat)

• Pepperoni• 240 calories, 9

grams fat

Roast Turkey, Ranch & Bacon Wrap

Chicken Fingers with Curly Fries

Lone Star

• Typical Meal • How many portions?

Portion Sizes• 1 tsp margarine = the tip of your thumb• 1 oz. cheese = your thumb, four dice stacked

together• 3 oz. chicken or meat = deck of cards• 1 c. pasta = tennis ball• 2 T. peanut butter = large marshmallow• 1 medium potato = computer mouse• 1 medium fruit = baseball• ¼ c. nuts = golf ball• 2 oz. bagel = yo-yo or hockey puck• Small cookie or cracker = poker chip

How many apples can you eat for the same amount of calories in one slice of apple pie?

ChoicesOne slice of apple pie = 350-450

calories.

You could eat about 8 ½ apples for the same amount of calories.

We are what we eat!• What we eat not

only changes what we are on the outside, but what we are on the inside.

• Every dollar you spend on “unhealthy” food is a vote.

• You do have control over what you eat!

Answers?

• Bad food in – bad health out!• Change starts with each of us.• Become aware, active and educated!• Read labels and make healthy choices!

Who is ultimately responsible??